[Newsroom]

I did enjoy the reference earlier in the thread to VCRs and VHS tapes as DVRs/DVR tapes! No such thing as a DVR in those days. Analogue tape all the way....! Even the longest VHS tapes only recorded up to 4 hours in 'short play' or 8 hours in 'long play' but the picture quality of long play was much worse. I don't remember VHS tapes being expensive; you could buy a pack of them fairly cheaply as I recall. I only remember getting my first DVR in about 2006 when I got Sky+. Up until then I very much continued to use the VCR and I think I did have a DVD recorder at some point, but I can't remember when exactly.

Here endeth the history lesson.

Apologies for my lack of knowledge on TV history, but I thought digital TV was already launched quite early in the UK back in around 1997 (hence why I made a reference to DVRs for digital TVs)? Isn't that one of the selling points of BBC News 24's launch back in November, having it being available only on cable and digital terrestrial?

I think Rob meant there was no such thing as a DVR device being able to record video and it's true - there wasn't. It was VHS all the way when Diana died as Betamax had all but gone.